COMPARATIVE SOCIAL CHANGE
SUBJECT OUTLINE
Undergraduate Subject Number: 50140
Postgraduate Subject Number: 50175
Number of credit points: 8 credit points
Coordinator: Dr Devleena Ghosh
Room 542 (Bon Marche) Ph: 9514 2289
Objectives:
This unit is designed to introduce students in the International Studies Program to the analysis of comparative social change. In broad terms its aims are to permit students to interpret developments in specific countries or regions by providing them with an understanding of the processes of social change in a comparative context and introducing them to the intellectual debates for analysis of the wider processes of social change.
Approach:
The overall approach taken in this unit rests on the assumption that, because knowledge is contingent, we need to evaluate all interpretations in terms of where and when they are produced. What is emphasised throughout this subject is that knowledge is always a product of particular circumstances, or specific historical conjunctures, and differing interpretations flow from various relations of power which enable and disable conflicting narratives on the meaning and significance of the same event. For example, there are a variety of often conflicting interpretations of the effects of modernisation. The most influential interpretations, whether celebratory or critical, have gained broad acceptance as a result of the power of the wider socio-political and institutional contexts to which they are linked as much as they have from any claim they might make to ‘objectivity’ or ‘truth’. In short, this subject seeks to raise as many questions as it answers.
Relevance of subject to overall aim of course
This subject is intended as the core Contemporary Society I unit in all majors within the International Studies Program. All students in the International Studies Program are required to pursue one of that program's majors, each of which focuses on a specific country or region. All students in the International Studies Program in addition to other subjects take two subjects concerned with the analysis of contemporary society. The first Comparative Social Change- assists in placing understanding of the country or region of the major in its wider and comparative contexts. The second - Contemporary Society provides a detailed introduction to the contemporary history, politics, economics and society of the specific country or region of their major using the tools of analysis provided in Comparative Social Change.
Modes of presentation
Lectures (1 hr pw) seminars (2 hours pw)
Whereas lectures are more formal large-group learning situations in which the instructor will cover key areas of the topic for that week, the seminars involve active learning and teaching. Seminars offer an opportunity for students to discuss, debate and clarify issues touched on in the lectures and readings. Attendance at seminars is compulsory and students will be assessed on their participation in their group discussions.
Timetable:
Broadway Campus:
Lecture Times: Tuesday, 6 - 7 pm
Seminar Times: Tuesday, 7 - 9 pm (5)
Thursday, 2 - 4 pm (2)
Kuringai Campus:
Lecture: Wednesday 12:00 noon - 1 pm
Seminar: Wednesday 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm (2)
Lectures will be taped and sent to the Library on Level 1, Haymarket for those students who are unable to attend.
Prerequisites and corequisites:
None. Although this unit has been designed for the International Studies Program it is also available to other students interested in the comparative analysis of social change.
Material to be taught and specific teaching strategies:
Since the late 1980s the end of the Cold War, as well as rapid social, economic and political change in Eastern Europe, East and Southeast Asia, have all combined to emphasise the importance of the comparative analysis of social change. There have been various claims for the inevitable triumph of the homogenising influences of capitalism and democracy; renewed emphases on cultural determinism; and questioning of the eurocentricity of the social sciences. There have essentially been two dimensions to the debate: the extent to which the processes of social change are universal or specific; and the ways in which modernisation creates convergence or divergence in the processes and outcomes of social change.
This subject provides an introduction to both the comparative analysis of social change and to the processes of social change in the countries of Western Europe, Latin America, East and Southeast Asia. In general the subject does not concentrate on developments within specific countries but rather focuses on specific themes and topics that characterise modernisation. A key focus of concern will be to examine whether the established analytical models are still useful in understanding the modern world; this will involve a re-consideration of the explanatory value of such units of analysis as the state, the nation, social class, capitalism and so on.
The subject starts with a general overview section that provides both theoretical and practical perspectives. The first week's lectures and seminars focus on the key questions of universality and specificity, conversion and divergence. The next two weeks' topics then attempt a broad overview of the key characteristics of change in the four main regions studied in the International Studies Program: Western Europe, Latin America, East and Southeast Asia. At the same time, weeks 2 and 3 will also relate the emergence of social science theory to the emergent processes of social change.
The second part of the subject concentrates on the processes and consequences of modernisation in and for the economy, politics, society, culture and ideology. Its aim is not to provide a single explanation or unifying grand theory of modernisation, but rather to highlight a few major ideas and a number of key issues that students may expect to find in the literature and which will help them to interpret the processes of social change as they experience them both intellectually and through participant observation.
Assessment:
In order to pass, you will need to fulfil the following criteria:
1. Attendance (5%)
2. Participation in tutorial discussions (Weeks 2 – 7) (15%)
3. A quote-book (around 1500 words in total) due on 14th April (Week 7). (20%)
4.Poster Session (Weeks 8 – 12) [Peer Evaluation] (15%)
5. A major research essay of 2500 words, on a case study relevant to the topic, including bibliography and footnotes due by 9th June (Week 13). (40%)
6. Discussion of learning outcomes (Teaching Week 13) (5%)
YOU MUST PASS EACH COMPONENT OF THE ASSESSMENT TO PASS THIS SUBJECT.
A Subject Reader containing the required readings is available from the University Printing Services, Level 2, Building 1 (Tower).
Lecturers: Dr Devleena Ghosh, Room 3/542, Phone: 9514-2289
Dr James Goodman, Room3/548, Phone: 9514-2714
James.Goodman@uts.edu.au
COMPARATIVE SOCIAL CHANGE (AUTUMN 2000)
|
WEEK |
LECTURE |
SEMINAR/ASSESSMENT DUE DATES |
|
Week 1 29/30 February |
The dimensions of social change (Devleena Ghosh) |
Discussion of Course Structure Selection of Seminar and Essay Topics |
|
Week 2 7/8 March |
The analysis of social change (Sigrid Baringhorst) |
Facilitation: Why do we need to analyze social change? |
|
Week 3 14/15 March |
The extension of the analysis outside Europe (David Goodman) |
Facilitation: What does Goodman see as important in the ‘new middle classes’ in China? Does Patnaik’s thesis oppose his? |
|
Week 4 21/22 March |
Political Change (Helen Irving) |
Facilitation: Is there only one type of capitalism? Is capitalism inevitable as Marx claimed? What does he see as its cultural and social effects? |
|
Week 5 28/29 March |
Liberal Democracy: Barrington Moore (James Goodman) |
Facilitation: Does modernisation homogenize? Critically evalute Barrington Moore’s thesis. |
|
Week 6 4/5 April |
Classical Modernisation Theory (James Goodman) |
Facilitation: Evaluate Rostow’s ‘stages of growth’ theory. What might be the alternatives? |
|
Week 7 11/12 April |
Endism (Devleena Ghosh) |
Facilitation: Why does Fukuyama herald 'the end of history'? Is he correct? Quotebook handed in |
TWO |
WEEKS MID - SEMESTER |
BREAK (17 April - 28 April) |
|
Week 8 2/3 May |
Women, modernisation and development: (Devleena Ghosh)
|
Poster Session: How does modernisation affect women? Discuss the pros and cons of developmental policies on women in modernising countries (pick a country or a region) |
|
Week 9 9/10 May |
Modernisation Revised: Bringing Culture Back In (Devleena Ghosh) |
Poster Session: Is culture monolithic and unchanging? Is it true that what comprises any culture at any given time is contested terrain? |
|
Week 10 16/17 May |
Modernisation and dependency (Mark Berger) |
Poster Session: How useful is dependency theory for analysing social change? Does it give you insights that traditional modernisation theory does not? |
|
Week 11 23/24 May |
The Core and the Periphery: Wallerstein’s World System (Mark Berger) |
Poster Session: Do you think that Wallerstein’s argument is useful for analysing social change? What are its shortcomings? |
|
Week 12 30/31 May |
States in Development (James Goodman) |
Poster Session: Do governments govern? Are the more important decisions made by governments or multi-national corporations? Is a strong state necessary for economic development? |
|
Week 13 6/7 June |
Human Rights and Democratic Norms (James Goodman) |
How would you define human rights and democratic norms? Using examples, illustrate how these rights and norms played out in different cultural and socio-economic contexts. Reflective discussion on learning outcomes: Essay handed in |
LECTURE AND SEMINAR OUTLINE
Teaching Week 1 beginning February 28
The dimensions of social change Devleena Ghosh
Seminar Topic: Introduction to Course; organisation of Tutorial Presentations. Your assigned reading for this week includes the course outline you are now looking at; read it from cover to cover. Any queries should be addressed to Dr Ghosh or Dr Goodman.
Readings:
• Calhoun, C., Light, D. & Keller, S. (1997), ‘Social Change’, Sociology, Ch. 22, McGraw-Hill, New York.
Teaching Week 2 beginning March 6
The analysis of social change Sigrid Baringhorst
Seminar topic: Why do we need to analyze social change?
Readings:
• Crow, G. (1997), ‘Introduction’ and ‘The Theory and Practice of Comparative Sociology’, in Comparative Sociology and Social Theory, St Martins Press, New York.
• Albrow, M. (1996), ‘The Construction of Nation-State Society’, in The Global Age: State and Society Beyond Modernity, Polity, Cambridge.
• Albrow, M. (1996), The Global Age: State and Society Beyond Modernity, Polity, Cambridge.
Teaching Week 3 beginning March 13
The extension of analysis outside Europe David Goodman.
Seminar topic: What does Goodman see as important in the ‘new middle classes’ in China? Does Patnaik’s thesis oppose his?
Readings:
• Goodman, D. (1997), ‘In Search of China’s New Middle Classes’, from Asian Studies Review, IIS, Sydney.
• Patnaik, P. (1999), ‘Capitalism in Asia at the End of the Millennium’, Monthly Review, July-August.
References:
• Goodman, D. S. G. and Robison, R. (1995),The New Rich in Asia: Mobile-phones, McDonalds and Middle Class Revolution, Routledge, London,
• Huntington, S. (1968), Political Order in Changing Societies, Yale University Press, New Haven
Teaching Week 4 beginning March 20
Political Change: Helen Irving
Seminar topic: Is there only one type of capitalism? Is capitalism inevitable as Marx claimed? What does he see as its cultural and social effects?
Readings:
• K. Marx and F. Engels (1948), "Manifesto of the Communist Party", Lawrence and Wishart, London.
• Ritzer, G. (1997), ‘Macdonaldization and Globalization’, in Gubbay, J. et al (eds) The Students Companion to Sociology, Blackwell, Oxford.
• Smart, B. (1999), ‘Resisting Macdonaldization: Theory, Process and Critique’, in Resisting Macdonaldization, Sage, New York.
References:
• Cassidy, J. (1997), ‘The Return of Karl Marx’ The New Yorker, October 20 & 27.
• Meiksins Wood, E. (1991), "Conclusion: Capitalism and the Ambiguity of Progress" from The Pristine Culture of Capitalism: a Historical Essay on Old Regimes and Modern States, Verso, London & New York.
• Rius, (1976), Marx for Beginners, Writers and Readers Publishing Cooperative Society Ltd., London
Teaching Week 5 beginning March 27
Liberal Democracy: Three Routes to Modern Society James Goodman
Seminar topic: Does modernisation homogenise? Critically evaluate Barrington Moore's thesis.
Readings:
• Moore, B. (1967) ‘The Democratic Route to Modern Society’, in The Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy, Penguin, London.
• Potter, D. (1974) ‘The Theory Outlined’, Lords, Peasants and Politics prepared for the Comparative Government and Politics Course Team, Open University Press, Milton Keynes.
References:
• Commission on Global Governance (1995) Our Global Neighbourhood, Oxford University Press. (chapter on closed reserve)
• Crow, G. (1997) ‘The Making of the Modern World: the Historical Sociology of Barrington Moore’, and other chapters from Crow, G. (ed.) Comparative Sociology and Social Theory, Macmillan, London. (on closed reserve)
• Held, D. (1996) Models of Democracy, Polity Press: Cambridge. (on closed reserve)
• McGrew, A. (ed. ) The Transformation of Democracy? Globalisation and Territorial Democracy, Polity, Cambridge. (on closed reserve).
Teaching Week 6 beginning April 3
Seminar topic: Evaluate Rostows ‘stages of growth’ theory. What might be the alternatives?
Readings:
• Rostow, W. (1961) ‘The Five Stages of Growth – a Summary’, in The Stages of Economic Growth: a Non-Communist Manifesto, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• Goldthorpe, J. (1996) ‘The Social sciences and the “Third World”’, in The Sociology of Post-colonial Societies, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
References:
• Chossudovsky M. (1998) The Globalisation of Poverty: Impacts of IMF and WB Reforms, Pluto Press, Sydney. (chapter on closed reserve)
• Goldthorpe, J. (1996) The Sociology of Post-Colonial Societies, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. (on closed reserve)
• Hettne, B. (1995) Development Theory and the Three Worlds: Towards an International Political Economy of Development, Longman, London. (on closed reserve)
• Hoogvelt, A. (1997) Globalisation and the Postcolonial World : the New Political Economy of Development, Basingstoke, Macmillan. (on closed reserve)
Teaching Week 7 beginning April 10
Homogenisation: Endism Devleena Ghosh
Seminar Topic: Why does Fukuyama herald 'the end of history'? Is he correct?
Readings:
• Fukuyama, F. (1989) ‘The End of History?’, The National Interest, Summer.
• Huntington, S. (1989) ‘No Exit: the Errors of Endism’, The National Interest, Fall.
References:
• Derrida, J. (1994), ‘Spectres of Marx’, New Left Review, # 205, May/June.
• Fukuyama, F. (1993), The End of History and the Last Man, Avon Books, New York.
• Wieseltier, L. (1989), ‘Spoilers at the Party’, The National Interest, Fall.
• If you can, also look up Fukuyama, F. End of History? & Responses to Fukuyama in the Close Reserve at Fisher Library for a selection of articles on this debate.
EASTER BREAK: 17 APRIL TO 28 APRIL
Women, modernisation and development: Devleena Ghosh
Seminar topic: How does modernisation affect women? Discuss the pros and cons of developmental policies on women in modernising countries (pick a country or a region)
Readings:
• Bulbeck, C. (1998) Re-orienting Western Feminisms: Womens Diversity in a Postcolonial World, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• Cutin, J. (1998) ‘Review: Re-orienting Western Feminisms’, Australian Journal of Political Science, 33, 3.
• Brook, B. (1998) ‘Review: Re-orienting Western Feminisms’, Arena Magazine, 34.
References:
• Beneria, L. & Sen, G. (1997), ‘Accumulation, Reproduction & Women’s Role in Economic Development: Boserup Revisited’ in Visvanathan, N. et al (Eds) The Women, Gender and Development Reader, Zed Books, London.
• Boserup, E. (1970), Woman's Role in Economic Development, Allen & Unwin, London.
• Mies, M. (1993), ‘The Myth of Catching-up Development’, in Mies, M. & Shiva, V. (Eds) Ecofeminism, Spinifex Press, Melbourne.
• Mohanty, C. T. (1997), ‘Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarships & Colonial Discourses’ in Visvanathan, N. et al (Eds) The Women, Gender and Development Reader, Zed Books, London.
Teaching Week 9 beginning May 8
Modernisation Revised: Bringing Culture Back In Devleena Ghosh
Seminar Topic: Is culture monolithic and unchanging? Is it true that what comprises any culture at any given time is contested terrain?
Readings:
• Miyoshi, M. (1993) ‘A Borderless World? From Colonialism to Transnationalism and the Decline of the Nation-State’, Critical Inquiry, 19.
• Berger, M. (1997) ‘The Triumph of the East? The East Asian Miracle and Post-Cold War Capitalism’, in The Rise of East Asia: Critical Visions of the Pacific Century, Routledge, London.
References:
• Anderson, B. R. O'G. (1991), Imagined Communities : Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Verso, London & New York.
• Bhabha, H. K. (Eds) (1990), Nation and Narration, Routledge, London & New York.
• Pieterse J. N. & Parekh, B. (1995), ‘Shifting Imaginaries: Decolonization, Internal Decolonization, Postcoloniality’ in Pieterse J. N. & Parekh, B. (Eds) The Decolonization of Imagination: Culture, Knowledge and Power, Zed Books, London.
Teaching Week 10 beginning May 15
Modernisation and dependency Mark Berger
Seminar topic: How useful is dependency theory for analysing social change? Does it give you insights that traditional modernisation theory does not?
Readings:
• Frank, A. Gunder (1967), ‘Preface’ and sections from ‘The Development of Underdevelopment in Brazil’, in Capitalism and Underdevelopment in Latin America, Monthly Review Press, New York.
• So, A. (1990,) ‘The New Dependency Studies, in Social Change and Development: Modernisation, Dependency and World-System Theories, Sage, London.
References:
• Goldthorpe, J. (1996), The Sociology of Post-Colonial Societies, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. (on closed reserve)
• Hoogvelt, A. (1997), Globalisation and the Postcolonial World : the New Political Economy of Development, Basingstoke, Macmillan. (on closed reserve)
• So, A. (1990), Social Change and Development: Modernisation, Dependency and World-System Theories, Sage, London.
Teaching Week 11 beginning May 22
The Core and the Periphery: Wallerstein’s World System Mark Berger
Seminar Topic: Do you think that Wallerstein’s argument is useful for analysing social change? What are its shortcomings?
Readings:
• Skocpol, T. (1977) Wallerstein’s World Capitalist System: a Theoretical and Historical Critique’, American Journal of Sociology, 82, 5.
• Wallerstein, I. (1983) ‘Struggle for Benefits’, in Historical Capitalism, Verso, London.
References:
Teaching Week 12 beginning May 29
States in Development James Goodman
Seminar Topic: Do governments govern? Are the more important decisions made by governments or multi-national corporations? Is a strong state necessary for economic development?
Readings:
• Held, D. (1989) ‘The Decline of the Nation State’, in Hall, S. and Jacques, M. (eds) New Times: the Changing Face of Politics in the 1990s, Lawrence and Wishart, London.
• Weiss, L. (1998) ‘Globalisation and the Myth of the Powerless State’, New Left Review, 114.
References:
• Hirst, P. and Thompson, G. (1995) Globalisation and the future of the nation-state, Economy and Society, 24, 3. (on closed reserve)
• Hobsbawm, E. (1996) ‘The future of the state’, in Hewitt de Alcantara (ed) Social futures, social visions, Blackwell, UK. (on closed reserve)
• Holton, R. (1998) Globalisation and the nation-state, Macmillan, Basingstoke.
• Panitch, L. (1994) ‘Globalisation and the State’, in Miliband, R. and Panitch, L. (eds), Socialist Register: between globalism and nationalism, Merlin, London. (on closed reserve)
Teaching Week 13 beginning June 5
Human rights and democratic norms James Goodman
Seminar Topic: How would you define human rights and democratic norms? Using examples, illustrate how these rights and norms played out in different cultural and socio-economic contexts.
Readings:
• Patten, C. (1996), ‘Asian Values and Asian Success’, Survival, 38, 2.
• Uhlin, A. (1999), ‘Asian Values Democracy’, Neither Asian nor Democratic: Discources and Practices in Late New Order Indonesia, Occasional Paper, Centre for Pacific Asia Studies, Stockholm.
References:
• Cauquelin, J. and Lim, P. (1998) Asian values: an encounter with diversity, Curzon, US.
• Chee, S. (1998) To be free: stories from Asia's struggle against oppression, Monash Asia Institute, Melbourne. (chapter on closed reserve)
• Falk R. / WOMP (1995) On humane governance: towards a new global politics, Polity Press; Cambridge. (chapter on closed reserve)
• Hassall, G. and Saunders, C. (1997) The people's representatives: electoral systems in the Asia-Pacific region, Allen & Unwin, Sydney. (on closed reserve)
• Sheridan, G. (1999) Asian values, western dreams: understanding the new Asia, Allen & Unwin, Sydney. (chapter on closed reserve)
ASSESSMENT:
1. Attendance (5%)
You must attend all lectures and tutorials. Explanation of absences, or requests for permission to be absent from forthcoming classes, should be addressed to the instructor(s) responsible for those classes. Explanation of an absence of more than one week should also be addressed in writing to Dr. Ghosh and, where applicable, should be accompanied by a medical certificate or documentation in support of misadventure. Any absences without appropriate documentation (doctor’s/counsellor’s certificates etc.) will result in marks being deducted.
2. Participation in seminar discussions (15%)
1. Seminar Expectations (Weeks 2 – 7)
Students will be divided into small groups in the first week and the seminars will be devoted directly to the review and explication of the lecture and assigned readings, and to consideration of problems arising out of them. You are required to attend the lectures and do the assigned reading every week so that you can contribute to the work of your discussion group. Each student in a discussion group must take the role of Facilitator and at least ONCE in the semester.
The seminars for Weeks 2 to 7 will be organised as follows:
• each class divides into small discussion groups (approx 4-6 persons) for the semester.
• each discussion group appoints a FACILITATOR for each tutorial week of the semester. All students must take the role of Facilitator at least ONCE in the semester.
• each discussion group provides the names of Facilitators for all tutorials for the semester to their tutors in the first week.
• groups meet and the Facilitator leads discussion of the tutorial topic for half an hour. Discussion must engage with all the readings for the week. The Facilitator prepares a brief report of discussion (disagreements, further questions, conclusions).
• the small groups then come back together as a class, and the Facilitator present the group reports.
• the class has a general discussion.
Role of the Facilitator:
As a Facilitator, you are required to:
1. Read the allotted readings
2. Prepare a brief critique of the set reading outlining what you consider to be the main issues.
3. Prepare a set of focus points or questions to provoke discussion and comment about issues arising from the set reading.
4. Lead your discussion group using the prepared questions. This session will take between 15 and 20 minutes.
5. Summarise the main points raised by the group. Comment briefly (500 words maximum) on the discussion.
The discussions should aim to do the following:
1. Critical exposition and analysis of the lecture and the readings.
2. Discussion of the major themes and stages used to develop the arguments in the readings.
3. Assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments in the readings.
4. Discussion of the experiences of at least two countries to exemplify or test claims made in readings.
Criteria for assessment of seminar facilitation:
• Evidence of having read the set readings carefully and thoughtfully;
• Identification of the issues raised
• Salient focus points/questions for discussion
3. A quote-book (around 1500 words) due on 14th April (Week 7). (20%)
The quotebook will be a collection of eighteen quotes based on the topics and readings of Weeks 2 to 7. There should be three quotes for every week. Two of the quotes should be taken from at least two of the required readings and one from an outside or recommended source. Each quote must be accompanied with a citation that would enable a reader to easily find its source. (Please see Notes on Essay Preparation for stylistic conventions).
Following each quote, you should provide a statement that puts the quote in context and a brief paragraph indicating why you found the quote significant. Do you agree? Disagree? Are you inspired? Infuriated?
A brief final section of the quotebook should provide your assessment of the issues and patterns raised by the quotebook. You may wish to discuss how this quote is related to others in the quotebook.
The quotebook should not exceed 1500 words (this of course excludes the actual quotes and citations).
4. The Poster Session (Week 8 to Week 12) (15%)
Each week, half of the discussion groups will present the main points from the readings for that week with some critical analysis (that is whether you agree or disagree with the main arguments of the readings and why) as a poster or small display. Each group will have five minutes to talk to their poster. Students from the other groups will circulate and observe these posters, raise questions and evaluate them. (See Poster Evaluation Sheet)
All groups should meet in Weeks 6 – 7 to discuss the structure and content of their posters/displays and allocate the required work amongst members. Remember that these posters are group projects that are supposed to foster collaborative work.
5. A major research essay of 2500 words, on and essay question or a case study relevant to the subject, including bibliography and footnotes, due by 9th June (Week 13) (40%)
(Please see Notes on Essay Preparation).
6. Discussion of learning outcomes (Teaching Week 13) (5%)
Each group will discuss their learning outcomes in terms of what issues they found most relevant and interesting in the subject. They will then present these to the whole class.
Extensions: Extensions will only be granted for illness or serious problems beyond your control. Requests for extensions must normally be made before the due date. Requests for extensions on the grounds of illness must be supported by a medical certificate. Late submission without an extension will result in marks being deducted.
LATE PENALTY: DEDUCTION OF 10% PER WEEK.
Failure to complete any assessment will be regarded as failure in that assessment, unless written approval to withdraw from the subject without failure is obtained from the Registrar. You must complete the requirements for each subject, and failure to perform satisfactorily in any single component may result in an overall failure in that subject.
Grading:
High Distinction 85 - 100%
Distinction 75 - 84%
Credit 65 - 74%
Pass 50 - 64%
Fail less than 49%
ESSAY TOPICS
*Important*: In answering your question you must relate your answer to the experiences of at least two countries. There is a list of books at the end of this outline which should be of use here.
(You may write on a topic of your own choosing if you clear the question with your tutor.)
l. Has History really ended?
2. Was Karl Marx right about the inevitability of Capitalism?
3. Why is the term 'nation‑state' a contested concept?
4. Are nationalism and internationalism necessarily opposed?
5. "States can have development or democracy, but not both." Discuss critically.
6. Is economic development a factor that has been used to explain too much about the politics and culture of various societies. Shouldn't other variables be considered?
7. Summarise and critically evaluate the various revisions of modernisation theory which have occurred since the 1960s.
8. Is democracy inevitable?
9. Is autocracy inevitable?
l0. “In late-industrialising countries, economic development intersected with the end of democracy and greater, rather than less, inequality.” Discuss.
ll. Is democracy consistent only with a capitalist economy?
12. Does development improve the position of women in modernising countries?
l3. “Historical change is not simply about the transition from tradition to modernity but the modernising and adapting of tradition. all modern societies are a mix of traditional and modern.” Discuss.
14. What role does culture play in people's capacity to participate politically?
l5. The idea that “cultural and social continuity do not require explanation, obliterates the fact that both have to be recreated anew in each generation, often with great pain and suffering...To speak of cultural inertia is to overlook the concrete interests and privileges that are served by indoctrination, education and the entire complicated process of transmitting culture from one generation to the next” (Barrington Moore, Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World, Boston, Beacon Press, 1966, p. 486). Discuss.
16. Critics argue that classic modernisation theory has proved to be less useful in explaining the continued power and importance of historically specific, cultural, ethnic and/or religious identities. Do you agree? Why?
17. Does every society have a ruling class? Your answer should include a good working definition of the term 'ruling class'.
FURTHER READINGS
F Deyo The Political Economy of the New Asian Industrialism Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 1987
R. Garran, Tigers Tamed: The End of the Asian Miracle, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 1998
K Hewison, R Robison and G Rodan Southeast Asia in the 1990s: Authoritarianism, Capitalism and Democracy Allen and Unwin, Sydney, l993
S Haggard Pathways from the Periphery Cornell University Press, Ithaca, l990
S. Haggard and R. R. Kaufman, The Political Economy of Democratic Transitions, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1985.
Barrington Moore Jr Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy,Allen Lane, Penguin, London, 1967
T Skocpol States and Social Revolutions, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1979
C Tilly Coercion, Capital and European States, Basil Blackwell, Oxford, 1990
G White Developmental States in East Asia, St Martin's Press, New York, 1988
Students who feel that they need to gain a theoretical background to social science are directed to Raymond Aron's Main Currents in Sociological Thought in Two Volumes, Pelican, London, 1972 (Available at Co-op. Bookshop) and to Andrew Gamble’s An Introduction to Modern Social and Political Thought, Macmillan, 2nd edition, 1994. There are also various dictionaries of sociology and politics in the UTS library.
A useful compendium of facts and figures about global issues is The World Affairs Companion, Simon and Schuster, Sydney, 1993 (Abbeys Bookshop)
'Particular Country' books for essays:
Students are strongly encouraged to go beyond this list where appropriate. Independent research is an important dimension of good essay writing.
Southeast Asia
Adam Schwarz A Nation in Waiting Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 1994
Richard Robison Indonesia: The rise of Capital Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 1986
Andrew Macintyre Business and Politics in Indonesia Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 1990
John L. S. Girling Thailand: Society and Politics Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 1981
Melanie Beresford National Unification and Economic Development in Vietnam, Macmillan, London, 1989
Diane K. Mauzy Politics in the ASEAN States Maricans, Kuala Lumpur, 1984
East Asia
Bernard Eccleston State and Society in Post‑War Japan Polity Press, Oxford, 1989
Joy Hendry Understanding Japanese Society Croom Helm, London, 1987
Lo Shiu Hing Political Development in Macau Chinese University Press, Hong Kong, 1995
Joseph Cheng and Sonny Lo From Colony to SAR: Hong Kong's Challenges Ahead Chinese University Press, Hong Kong, 1995
Craig Dietrich People 's China Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, 1994
David S. G. Goodman & Gerald Segal China in the Nineties Oxford University Press, 1991
R Benewick and P Wingrove China in the 1990s Macmillan, London, Hong Kong, 1995
Chu Yun-han Crafting Democracy in Taiwan Institute for National Policy Research, Taipei, 1992
Edwin Winckler and Susan Greenhalgh Contending Approaches to the Political Economy of Taiwan,M E Sharpe, New York, 1988
Hagen Koo State and Society in Contemporary Korea Cornell University Press, 1993
Sung Chul Yang The North and South Korean Political Systems Westview Press, 1994
Europe
G. C. Lodge and E. F. Vogel, Ideology and National Competitiveness: An Analysis of Nine Countries, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, 1987
A.S. Milard, The European Rescue of the Nation State, Routledge, 1992
H. Coenen and P. Leisink (eds) Work and Citizenship in the New Europe, Aldershot, 1993
E. Meehan, Citizenship and the European Community, Sage, 1993
J. Gray, Beyond the New Right, Routledge, 1993
N. Swain, Hungary: The Rise and Fall of Feasible Socialism, Verso, 1992.
P. Allan and K Goldman (eds) The End of the Cold War, London, 1992.
W. Brus and K. Laski, From Marx to Market, Oxford, 1989
M Bowker and R. Brown (eds) From Cold War to Collapse: Theory and World Politics in the 1980s, Cambridge, 1993
R. Blackburn, (ed), After the Fall: The Failure of Communism, Verson, 1991
G. Steiner, Proofs and Three Parables, Faber and Faber, 1992.
P. Anderson, Zone of Engagement, Verson, 1992.
Latin America
M.T. Berger Under Northern Eyes: Latin American Studies and US Hegemony in the Americas 1898 - 1990, Indiana University Press, Bloomington and Indianapolis, 1995
H. Aguilar Camin and L. Meyer, In the Shadow of the Mexican Revolution, Austin, University of Texas Press, 1993
N. Harvey, (ed.), Mexico: Dilemmas of Transition, London ; New York, Institute of Latin American Studies, University of London and British Academic Press, New York, 1993
D. James, Resistance and Integration: Peronism and the Argentine Working Class, 1946 - 1976, Cambridge, 1988.
D. Lehmann, Democracy and Development in Latin America: Economics,
Politics, and Religion in the Postwar Period, Cambridge, England, Polity Press, 1990
B. Loveman, Chile: The Legacy of Hispanic Capitalism, New York, Oxford University Press, 1988
J. Martinez and A. Diaz, Chile: The Great Transformation, Washington, D.C., Brookings Institution; Geneva, Switzerland : United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, 1996
D. Rock, Authoritarian Argentina: the Nationalist Movement, its History and its Impact, Berkeley, 1993
P. Smith, (ed.) Latin America in Comparative Perspective, Boulder, Westview Press, 1995
W.C Smith, Authoritarianism and the Crisis of the Argentine Political Economy, Stanford, Calif., Stanford University Press, 1989.
C. Waisman, Reversal of Development in Argentina, Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press, 1987
Elsewhere
Peter Ferdinand The New Central Asia and its Neighbours Pinter, London, 1994
General
Stephan Haggard and Robert R Kaufman The Political Economy of Democratic Transitions Princeton University Press, 1995
NOTES ON ESSAY PREPARATION
Essays are an important part of your university course. They provide the framework within which you can develop your ideas; they are an index of your performance for your lecturers; and they are the main means by which your work in the subject is assessed. These notes are intended to provide students with assistance in the preparation and writing of their essays. Too often, inadequate preparation means that students begin to write without sufficient material to do the task justice. Even more frequently, essays are marred by bad organization and a clumsy handling of the subject, which ruin even the most carefully prepared material. These are problems that can be avoided.
Layout
1. Title Page
You must attach a completed copy of the title page provided in your subject outline to your essay.
Please do not submit your work in an elaborate or bulky cover or folder. The care and thoughtfulness are appreciated, but a simple staple makes for much easier handling of the work. An impressive cover will never yield higher marks.
2. Synopsis
An abstract of about 150 words written in continuous prose (not note form) which outlines the argument of the essay should appear on the first page of the text. An abstract should not be a statement of method nor provide an introduction to the essay.
3. Text
Use one side of the paper only. Type your essay (double space) on a good condition printer, otherwise write legibly in ink. Neatness and legibility are important. Ensure that a margin of at least 3 cm is included on each page for the marker's comments. Leave ample room at the bottom of each page for references. Number all pages except the first.
"Wordage" should not be your chief consideration. You should aim at a complete, lucid answer which avoids verbosity and yet provides an adequate coverage of all the relevant aspects of the topic. An essay is primarily an exercise in writing a rounded argument within a prescribed length, and in producing evidence to support it. One page that really seeks to deal with the topic set is better than two or more pages which hesitantly skirt around the topic.
4. Bibliography
Attach to your essay a list of sources used. You may add a brief critical comment on each source.
Stylistic Conventions
1. References should be made in the form of numbered footnotes at the bottom of each page (or at the end of the essay). The most important rule in footnoting is to settle upon a format that provides complete information, and then use it consistently. There are some complications in citing sources, but if you are in doubt give as full a description of the source as you can, remembering that your purpose is to enable the reader to identify the sources as quickly as possible. Clarity and simplicity should be your guidelines.
2. Books referred to for the first time in footnotes may be cited clearly in the following way:
First name or initials and surname of the author, full title of book (underlined or in italics), place and year of publication, volume number (if relevant), page number. For example:
Ellen M. Wood, The Pristine Culture of Capitalism, Verso, London, 1991, p.
3. Journal articles referred to for the first time in footnotes may be cited clearly in the following way:
First name or initials and surname of the author, title of article (in inverted commas), title of journal (underlined or in italics), volume, date, page number. For example:
S. Ruddick, "Maternal Thinking", Feminist Studies, vi, 2 (Summer 1980), p. 343.
4. Where a reference is exactly the same as the preceding one, it is sufficient to write ibid. (Latin, ibidem: in the same place). Where it is exactly the same as the preceding one, except for the page number, it is sufficient to write, for example, ibid., p. 36.
5. Where a note refers, after a number of intervening notes, to a work quoted earlier, it is sufficient to give the author's surname and a short title for the book, for example: Wood, Pristine Culture, p. 23. You may also use the abbreviation op. cit. (Latin, opere citato: in the work cited), for example: Wood, op. cit p. 23.
6. If you cite two different works by the same author you must distinguish them in the footnotes. The first citation must be in full. Subsequent citations should list the author's surname, and a short title of the work.
7. Failure to acknowledge sources of information is considered plagiarism. Plagiarism (ie taking the ideas of others and passing them off as your own) is taken seriously; students will be failed if their essays are fully or substantially plagiarised.
It is important to adhere to these rules as a matter of habit. Citation of references in a correct form is part of the discipline of academic writing. References must be precise so that the reader may be able to trace your reference to its source immediately.
Intellectual approaches:
Making Comparisons and Comparative Methodology:
Some of the assignments in this unit ask for you to adopt a comparative approach. There is considerable debate about the appropriate way to make comparisons, and about the utility and relevance of comparative methodology. At the same time it can be said that all theoretical work, and virtually all analysis, rests on implicit comparisons. Our attempts to understand 'new' phenomena are generally based on implicit comparisons between something we are already familiar with. For example, modernisation theory, as it emerged after World War II, rests on an implicit comparison between 'successful' development in North America, Western Europe or Japan and what is viewed as 'unsuccessful' development in many other parts of the world. More explicit attempts at comparison do not necessarily overcome the ethnocentrism of those theoretical approaches that make only implicit comparisons. Explicit comparisons still look at what is being compared from a particular position. For example, comparing the failure of 'democracy' in Indonesia to the relative 'success' of 'democracy' in the Philippines, can still involve a range of implicit comparisons which privilege an idealised image of the political systems of North America, Western Europe or Australia as something towards which Southeast Asian political systems are inevitably, or ought to be, moving. Also remember that comparison can be about differences as well as similarities. In order to help clarify how you might approach a comparative essay, what are understood to be three major comparative approaches are outlined below. (Note: These approaches are not mutually exclusive and more than one of them may be used to answer a particular question):
a) The "Parallel Demonstration" Approach:In this approach a series of cases, or examples, are outlined, with the emphasis being on their similarities, each of which is represented as providing evidence to support a particular theory, or argument. This approach tends toward highlighting the similarities of each case (alternatively a series of cases can be used to demonstrate that a particular theory or approach is incorrect). For example, a question might ask you to evaluate O'Donnell's concept of bureaucratic authoritarianism in relation to Southeast Asia. After summarising the concept, an essay using the "parallel demonstration" approach would look at two or more countries in Southeast Asia emphasising how the specific national cases support or contradict the concept of bureaucratic‑authoritarianism.
b) The "Contrast of Contexts" Approach:With this approach the concern is not with supporting, or testing, a particular theory, but with the overall differences between at least two cases. This approach looks at two or more cases, and draws particular attention to the important differences between them. This approach is not necessarily concerned with finding specific causes for particular political and social phenomena, and tends to emphasise the overall uniqueness of each case. For example, a "Contrast of Contexts" approach to a question which asks why the Soeharto regime has survived so long and why the Marcos dictatorship fell, would draw attention to the overall differences between the two countries, such as the historically more centralised political system in Indonesia, the presence of a regionally powerful landed oligarchy in the Philippines which was an obstacle to Marcos' long term survival, and the ability of the Soeharto regime to invoke loyalties that refer back to the pre‑colonial structure of the Javanese kingdoms. Why these differences exist is deemed secondary to drawing out that they do exist. Although this kind of emphasis does not preclude discussion of why the differences exist, a question such as this is not necessarily asking for an explanation of why Indonesia and the Philippines are different, it is simply asking what differences explain the longevity of the Soeharto regime and the fall of the Marcos regime.
c) The "Macro-Causal" Approach:Practitioners of this approach tend to have particular results they are trying to explain. In order to do this they look at cases where the result exists and at those cases where the result does not exist. For example, a question that asks why a major peasant based revolution succeeds in some instances and not in others might look at Vietnam and then compare it with other cases in the region, such as the Philippines, and beyond, in which there have been 'unsuccessful' and 'successful' revolutionary outcomes.
(Note: If you are interested in reading more about comparative methodology see Theda Skocpol and Margaret Somers, "The Uses of Comparative History in Macrosocial Inquiry" Comparative Studies in Society and History, vol. 22. no. 2. 1980. pp. 174-197).
Guide to Critical Evaluation of Sources:
Critical engagement with the themes and readings in this unit is crucial and is the main focus of the tutorials. Some essay questions also ask you to evaluate particular readings. The following guide is aimed at suggesting ways of critically evaluating books, articles and/or other sources. This is not an exhaustive guide and should itself be subjected to critical evaluation.
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• What is the text about? That is, what do you understand to be its subject an |